James Q. Wilson and George Kelling wrote an article called "Broken Windows" in which they suggested that one broken window in a building would lead to more broken windows. If, however, the window was replaced then more windows would not be broken. It was their theory that one broken window leads to a sort of spiraling effect of chaos in which people think its okay to break the windows. Their theory has been used extensively in criminal justice and sociology circles and while it has its detractors it also has many people who support the idea. What it really aims at is people's behaviors. If people see something spiraling into chaos then their own levels of reserve and regard are also diminished.
A recent very very short article in the Metro from yesterday I think plays on this and is very disturbing:
"New York. A U.S. soldier has been charged with second-degree assault over accusations he 'waterboarded' his 4-year-old daughter because she couldn't recite the alphabet. Reports said Joshua Tabor, 27, admitted to police that he used the technique because he was so angry. He said his daughter was terrified of water."
I don't honestly know why this isn't a bigger story, perhaps because we don't want to deal with the realities of what this means. When we lower the standards of decency then some people will think that this becomes acceptable behavior. I don't think what happened at Abu Ghraib was just soldiers running wild. It was too culturally specific to have been a mistake. But what I do think happened was that when given the permission to do certain things that the soldiers spiraled out of control, as Stanford Professor Philip Zimbardo showed in his infamous prison experiment.
When we say that certain forms of torture are not torture then we approve of the behavior and things devolve. I do not believe that most soldiers will do this, even the ones who are involved in the activities, but some will feel justified because they continually hear that it is not torture, that there is nothing wrong with it, and it can get positive results. Maybe it can even get a 4-year-old to say her ABC's. We as a society need to stand up and say that this is not acceptable.
The Social Principles state that "the mistreatment or torture of persons by governments for any purpose violates Christian teaching and must be condemned and/or opposed by Christians and churches whenever it occurs." (164A, emphasis mine)
In addition, the Book of Resolutions also has two resolutions in opposition to torture. Resolution 6120 states "Our commitment to human rights is grounded in the conviction that every human life is sacred.... Among the most significant of human rights is the right to security of person, which includes the right not to be tortured. Yet around the world today, there are countless numbers of persons suffering shocking and morally intolerable treatment at the hands of those acting -- all too often -- on behalf of their governments. such torture violates the basic dignity of the human persons that all religions, in their highest ideals, hold dear. It degrades everyone involved -- policymakers, perpetrators and victims." (emphasis mine)
If we honestly don't believe that this is torture then why is Mr. Tabor being prosecuted? He's being prosecuted because it is torture, and we should not allow it to happen to anyone who has no say or power.
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